A young boy stands on a marked platform inside a medical device, guided by an adult. Dressed for starting school in a green shirt, dark shorts, and colourful socks, he appears to be in a clinic or hospital setting.

Starting School The Right Way – With Clarks

As almost everyone now knows my youngest James is about to start full time school in just under 3 weeks time. To say I’m nervous is an understatement and I know it is something that I have no control over and have to get on with it. But knowing that he will be starting school in a nice new uniform and comfortable, properly fitted footwear takes some of the worry away. He has never had to wear a proper uniform before (it has always been optional at nursery) and certainly not one that he has had to wear for a full day. So I am actually looking forward to him looking smart and just like his older brothers. Recently we were invited to our local Clarks shoe shop for James to get some new shoes.

A young boy stands on a marked platform inside a medical device, guided by an adult. Dressed for starting school in a green shirt, dark shorts, and colourful socks, he appears to be in a clinic or hospital setting.

We were greeted by shop assistant and expert shoe fitter Wendy. She was very nice and spoke to James about starting school soon. She took him over to the sizing machine so we could find out what size shoes James needed. James was very impressed by the machine. It is the first time he has been measured this way as before he has always been measured using the manual gauges  He was very well behaved and when he was asked to step onto the machine he was very interested to see what it did. The process is pain free but gets an accurate measurement and takes literally 30 seconds to 1 minute to do if the child is behaving. James’ feet measured in at a 10.5 F.

A child wearing a green shirt with a Gruffalo design stands as an adult helps fit Clarks school shoes on him, getting ready for starting school; his old shoes and a shoebox are on the floor nearby.A child sits with rolled-up jeans, wearing one Clarks school shoe on the left foot and a red polka dot sock on the right, hands resting on their lap—ready for starting school.
A child wearing rolled-up jeans, a green T-shirt, and black Clarks shoes is holding a colourful card or booklet—perfect for starting school. The photo is taken indoors, showing only the child’s lower half and part of another person’s shoe.

Wendy brought out 3 pairs of shoes for James to chose from. He tried all 3 pairs on and went for a walk in each one to see which ones fitted him the best. We asked him which one he liked best and he chose a pair of Jack Nano Shine shoes.

A black Clarks children's shoe with a rugged sole and two hook-and-loop (Velcro) straps, designed for comfort and durability—perfect for starting school. Features decorative stitching and a rounded toe.

The shoes are made from black leather and are perfect for school, they also have a rubberised toe guard, and as any mum would know boys seem to be able to scuff the toes on their shoes almost immediately after purchase. The shoes fasten using 2 Velcro strips, this makes them really easy for a child to fasten and adjust them correctly.

The shoes are available from a size 10 and go up to a 12.5. They also come in 4 different widths (E – H). The shoes are priced at £38. 

A close-up of a person's hand holding open the heel of a Clarks black shoe, revealing a green and white toy car tucked inside near the opening—a playful touch for Starting School, highlighted by a bright green pull tab on the shoe.

I think what swayed James to choose these shoes is the little Jack Nano toy that comes with the shoes. Each pair of shoes comes with a Jack Nano Yotoy and an access token so you can unlock another level of fun on the free Clarks Jack Nano Racing app. For more details on how to download from the Apple Store or Google Play click here. 

We were given a booklet whilst in the store too. It is aimed at parents who have children starting school for the first time. It has lots of questions and answers from parents who are in the same position.  Hopefully it will help those first time starters to put their minds at ease as they are not the only ones who feel wary by it all, after all look at me – James is my 3rd child to start school and I still have all the same worries I had when Callum started. 

A red magazine cover titled "Milestones" with illustrations of children. Text highlights include "Your guide to starting school and learning to read," FAQs, expert advice, tips on choosing Clarks school shoes, and "How to grow a little bookworm.An open children's book features text, illustrations of kids, and colourful borders. The left page has a photo and two illustrated children; the right page discusses Starting School FAQs with a cartoon child holding a green Clarks bag at the bottom.

*We were sent a voucher to purchase this product for the purpose of this review – All thoughts and opinions are my own*

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